Just got a phone call from home, "The stove is out and i cant get it lit" my wife says. After being on the phone with her for some choice words and using 6 mice, she tells me how unhappy she is with the stove. I guess she left the ash door open while she went outside to dump it and the safety switch tripped...

SHe reset it and it is working well, but she cant keep the mice on the grate to get the coal lit. I dont seem to have any real trouble with them BUT, she does. How can i get it to work the 1st time EVERY TIME???

An earlier poster said he made a 'dam' to hold the rice coal on the grate with a metal rod bent into a horseshoe shape. This may help your wife with starting the fire, as for the mice to work, the coal must be on top (and around) them.

Also, if your furnace has an augur setting, make sure it's not set too low until the fire is lit and burning for an hour or two.

Turn the feed down or off until it gets going. Bury the coal mouse into the coal, with some on top before lighting. let it start good (1-2 mins) before turning/pluging in the stove, that will get it really burning, once started, put some more coal on top to keep it going.